More than 20,000species are distributed worldwide.[1] The insects in the order haveincomplete metamorphosis, and producesound (known as a "stridulation") by rubbing their wings against each other or their legs, the wings or legs containing rows of corrugated bumps. Thetympanum, orear, is located in the fronttibia in crickets,mole crickets, and bush crickets or katydids, and on the first abdominal segment in the grasshoppers and locusts.[2] These organisms use vibrations to locate other individuals.
Grasshoppers and other orthopterans are able to fold theirwings (i.e. they are members ofNeoptera).
Orthopterans have a generallycylindrical body, with elongated hindlegs and musculature adapted forjumping. They havemandibulate mouthparts for biting and chewing and largecompound eyes, and may or may not haveocelli, depending on the species. Theantennae have multiple joints and filiform type, and are of variable length.[2]
The first and third segments on thethorax are larger, while the second segment is much smaller. They have two pairs ofwings, which are held overlapping theabdomen at rest. The forewings, ortegmina, are narrower than the hindwings and hardened at the base, while the hindwings are membranous, with straight veins and numerous cross-veins. At rest, the hindwings are held folded fan-like under the forewings. The final two to three segments of the abdomen are reduced, and have single-segmentedcerci.[2]
Orthopterans have a paurometabolous lifecycle orincomplete metamorphosis. The use of sound is generally crucial in courtship, and most species have distinct songs.[3] Most grasshoppers lay theireggs in the ground or on vegetation. The eggs hatch and the youngnymphs resemble adults, but lack wings and at this stage are often called 'hoppers'. They may often also have a radically different coloration from the adults. Through successivemoults, the nymphs develop wings until their final moult into a mature adult with fully developed wings.[2]
The number of moults varies between species; growth is also very variable and may take a few weeks to some months depending on food availability and weather conditions.
The Orthoptera are divided into two suborders,Caelifera andEnsifera, that have been shown to bemonophyletic.[5][6][7] A recent comprehensive phylogeny based on analyses of data from transcriptomes and mitochondrial genomes found the following relationships within Orthoptera.[8]
Several species of Orthoptera are considered pests of crops and rangelands or seeking warmth in homes by humans. The two groups of Orthoptera that cause the most damage aregrasshoppers andlocusts. Locusts are historically known for wiping out fields of crops in a day. Locusts have the ability to eat up to their own body weight in a single day.[13] Individuals gather in large groups called swarms, consisting of up to 80 million individuals and spanning as much as 460 square miles.[13] Grasshoppers can cause major agricultural damage but not to the documented extent as locusts historically have. These insects mainly feed on weeds and grasses, however, during times of drought and high population density they will feed on crops. They are a known pest insoybean fields and will likely feed on these crops once preferred food sources have become scarce.[14]
Most orthopterans are edible, making up 13% of all insects including some 80 species of grasshoppers being regularly consumed worldwide.[15] InMadagascar andOaxaca, grasshoppers and locusts are usually collected early in the morning when it is cooler as the orthopterans are less mobile due to beingcold-blooded.[15] In Thailand,house crickets are commonly reared and eaten; as of 2012, around 20,000 cricket farmers had farms in 53 of their76 provinces.[15]
InJudaism, the Orthoptera include the only insects consideredkosher. The list of dietary laws in thebook of Leviticus forbids all flying insects that walk, but makes an exception forcertain locusts.[16] TheTorah states the only kosher flying insects with four walking legs have knees that extend above their feet so that they hop.[17]
With new research showing promise in locating alternativebiofuel sources in the gut of insects, grasshoppers are one species of interest. The insect's ability to break downcellulose andlignin without producinggreenhouse gases has aroused scientific interest.[18]
^Chang H, Qiu Z, Yuan H, Wang X, Li X, Sun H, Guo X, Lu Y, Feng X, Majid M, Huang Y (2020) Evolutionary rates of and selective constraints on the mitochondrial genomes of Orthoptera insects with different wing types. Mol Phylogenet Evol
^Zhou Z, Ye H, Huang Y, Shi F. (2010) The phylogeny of Orthoptera inferred from mtDNA and description ofElimaea cheni (Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) mitogenome.J. Genet. Genomics. 37(5):315-324
^Gwynne, Darryl T. (1995). "Phylogeny of the Ensifera (Orthoptera): a hypothesis supporting multiple origins of acoustical signalling, complex spermatophores and maternal care in crickets, katydids, and weta".Journal of Orthoptera Research.4 (4):203–218.doi:10.2307/3503478.JSTOR3503478.
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